Gerd Rothmann’s work explores the relationship of jewellery and the human body through the concept of duplication and reflection. In Ten fingers at the neck the leitmotif of the fingerprint as the unique mark of the individual pervades the work, forming an impressed pattern of human marks in this articulated necklace. Rothmann suggests that the fingerprints on this necklace were those of his client’s lovers, creating an intensely personal record of a relationship while also bringing a sinister shade to the work, as the heavy square links circle and imprint themselves on the soft skin of the neck. The forensic anxiety implicit in these skin casts is further underlined by their translation into gold, the material of desire and possession, and the signifier of value and exchange.